Revealing analysis of national trends and local news you won't find in Miami's mainstream media. Dedicated to ethical government, saving tax dollars and a healthy environment. We aim to TRY to break the chokehold of Miami's developers and lobbyists on local government and the public commons. We offer our forum to that end.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Homestead Elections: Who is Running? By Geniusofdespair

Rochenel Marc

Norman Hodge

Dr. Joseph G. Sewell is officially running for mayor. I believe he is a Baptist pastor.

In Council Seat 4 Norman Hodge and Rochenel Marc have thrown their hats in the ring. Seat 5 and 1 have no official candidates.

Shouldn't Lynda Bell be worried about her own race? Did she not receive the message loud and clear from the Homestead voters the last time her name was on the ballot for council? What makes him think he has a chance with her albatross around his neck?

One thing you can always count on is that Bell is consistent! She holds a grudge and will go after the jugular without blinking an eye!! She has got to get back at Homestead and the best way to do that would be with her husband wreaking havoc on our dysfunctional city.

What a rogues gallery ! If for no other reason, this cast of characters make the case for no Homestead annexation. A few initial thoughts.... no e mail address shown for the Mayor... Wyatt, a running mate of Bateman having a miamidade.gov e mail address.. isn't he in bankruptcy...what was the amount of unpaid uility bills Hodge left when he moved away in 07.. FYI the City Clerk is the EX wife of "Rev." Sewell... is this a grudge match to get rid of her or all a charade...( do some research on why she is his EX) Porter and Shelley work in the same building. Of course Rosen will go where Bell tells him to go with his campaign money. What developer in his right mind would tell a vicious and vindictive Commisssioner no ? Ay yi yi !!

With this cast of characters it's no wonder the mere mention of "annexation" brings out the masses to say NO FRIGGEN WAY - EVER! What a mess that place is. I think Rosen is still trying to convince the morons to buy the space in his shopping mall where they're cirty hall is "temporarily housed". Grestas has not helped the City. He's over budget which is going to cause increased taxes. Yes, he's nice and he's smart but he's not looking from within the City to cut the budget, which will be his downfall. They can only continue to subsidize their revenue shortfall from the utility for so long because when they take that money, the utility ages without the upgrades needed. It's going to be a mini water/sewer situation soon at the hands of the current city manager for keeping up a very old and bad policy. Leave the utility revenue alone so it can upgrade, not fill a budget gap for the general fund.

I wonder how that "loco" Lobos Good Governence PAC is going to play in to this. This answers part of why Bell filed earl as well. Wouldn't it be great if Dist. 8 voters on mass donated small amounts ($10 or so) just to send her a message to ANY candidate running against whoever Bell supports. That will certainly send her a message back without breaking anyone's bank. As soon as I know where she's aligned, I'll do it. Sierra will net Elvis money from me. That one we know for sure. By the way, did anyone ever find out if there is a relationship between her and that contractor at the Senior Center Bell named after her mother - Rene Sierra? Rosen isn't stupid. He's going to hedge all sides on this. His interests are more in Homestead than the County. He's not going to be anyone's "point" man because he's got too much at risk by betting on the wrong side.

I think Porter has read the tea leaves and will not risk another loss. Shelley is no angel. Remember he got a little slap from ethics for voting on matters for Shiver's clients ( including Rosen) while he was on P & Z at the time his live in/future wife was Shivers right hand girl..and presenting those matters at P & Z while Shelley sat there.

Shelley does need to go. Who will run against him. Didn't he mediate that BS agreement for Alger when the Fed's sued? Wasn't he conflicted on that too? I never got passed the fact that before Alger annexed in to homestead he had 1 home per five acre property rights. Afterward, it seemed like the sky was the limit then Alger gets annoyed because the Fed's sued him? It's a rolling comedy show of errors in that town. The only Ag they grow now are bad apples & HUD housing.

I knew there was a Shelley/Shiver connection. Shelley said something at the April annexation discussion meeting about the expansion in to an area where Shiver had always wanted to annex. He didn't get too far this last round, nor did Shiver. He should be voted out just for wasting everyone's time.

Gretsas does what the council tells him. Gretsas documents that fact at every meeting on the record.They have a hands off policy on certain employees and the elected.Elvis Maldonado had an unpaid utility bill for over a year, no shutoff? Really is that fair? The city placed a lien on his landlord. That lien has been paid but by whom? Inquiring minds want to know.What are these million dollar council approved budget expansion amendments every six months? Oh, transfers to the general fund from reserves, utilities, police seizures. The council has passed unsustainable budgets for four years and they know it.Now they are promoting annexation and NOT building the NEW CITY HALL which has risen from $18,000,000 to more than $30,000,000 according to construction expert Steve Bateman who impersonates a mayor. The council sat there and let him scold public speakers and make up numbers last week. No challenges, why would they? They are all in on the financial shenanigans.Why are they trying to stop the promised new city hall? The answer is to keep the Abbo family happy in an election year ($$$$$$), transfer the city hall construction money to the GF, these are political moves.This is all meant to stop any talk of a tax increase and keep the campaign cash flowing.Throw Bateman, Maldonado and Williams out and let Gretsas run the city under an honest council.Steve Shelley has proven he listens, he thinks and he votes appropriately. Nazy Sierra has a similar record. Whoever the new guy is in the Homestead southwest vote him in, Hodge and Williams are losers and both have residency issues.The candidates for mayor are a joke Homestead needs a fresh face a fresh voice and a new perspective.Bateman and Porter are the same, corrupt posers, Sewell has no chance.There is a big opportunity for the right person to become the mayor of Homestead. The old guard of Homestead has become irrelevant replaced by the Rosen, Abbo and Perez cabal. The next few weeks will be telling as to who can get the old guard aka good ol' boys back on the scene. If you guys love Homestead so much and want to preserve what is left find somebody appealing who has not been read multiple Miranda rights unlike Steve Bateman.

Jim Tranthem, Steven Losner, Michael Taylor and Elvis Maldonado are waiting until the midnight hour to strike. There may also be some dummy Waterstone candidates thrown in to bleed the funds from Nazy Sierra's return to the scene.Jon Burgess should run for Mayor of Homestead. He has a following and needs to challenge the Bateman and Frank May slate of rogue's gallery type candidates.

Quotes hall of fame - worth another look:

Jonathon Dunlop of Australia about the Miami Airport:"This is the most disorganized shambles of an airport that exists on this earth.''April 01, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment on Post__________________________________On "Colony Collapse Disorder":Anonymous said...I say lets wait till the last tree is going to be cut down, the last bit of oil used, the last lowland coastal areas flooded before we make any rash decisions that might effect the economy.April 21, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On Bee “Colony Collapse Disorder” being blamed on cell phones:Anonymous said...Hmmm. What are bees doing with cell phones, anyhow?April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment_________________________________On South Florida Water Supply:Ron Littlepage said...Unfortunately, we know who would win when it comes to allowing development to run amok and it's not the wildlife.April 20, 2007 Eye on Miami Comment Post_________________________________Lesley Blackner said:In Florida, the sad reality is that government exists to serve the development machine, not the citizenry. That's why it's proper to say that in Florida we have government of the developer, by the developer and for the developer.April 22, 2007 Eye on Miami Post_________________________________On City of Miami and Miami Dade County giving $1,000,000 each to Jorge Perez’s Related Group (The Group's 2005 revenues were $3.25 billion.):"It makes as much sense as me donating half my paycheck to Warren Buffett.”May 6, 2007 Miami Herald Columnist Ana Menendez_________________________________On the FCAT Test:"'Florida is a serial mis-user of test scores.''Bob Schaeffer, director for Massachusetts-based FairTest.May 25, 2007 Miami Herald_________________________________Clifford Schulman (Greenberg Traurig Lobbyist):"This is the first time in 33 years that any one has accused me of fraud." June 28, 2007 Miami HeraldI say: hmm.__________________________________Max Rameau, Homeless Activist:"I respect Ron Book for his work with the Homeless Trust, but the Liberty City community and others have given broad support to this idea. I don't know that a big-time millionaire lobbyist can tell us what is best for Liberty City and the black community.'' July 28, 2007 Miami Herald__________________________________"After years of mismanagement under a board of political appointees and neighborhood activists, Miami-Dade County administrators have proposed a new way to run the troubled empowerment zone program. The plan: Bring in new political appointees and neighborhood activists."November 6, 2007 Miami Herald: Reporter Scott Hiaasen______________________________________"Saying "Greater Everglades" and "Northern Everglades" is not saying Everglades -- other places are deserving of being protected too, but there is only one Everglades. The main thing is to keep the 'Main Thing' the main thing -- which, lately, has not been the main thing." Bob Mooney - on Listserve "Everglades Commons"________________________________________"Does anyone in their right mind believe that Florida could conduct postal balloting without a major screw-up or scandal? Heavens, no! The whole country is keenly aware that our state is a sump hole of incompetence and corruption."Carl Hiaasen - March 16, 2008 Miami Herald_______________________________________On the Charter Review: "Commissioners want us to vote on their own pet changes, ideas the review team explicitly rejected. And, they're throwing their blatantly self-serving ballot questions at us at the same time. What a slap in the face to the charter review team — and to all of us!" Michael Lewis of Miami Today - April 10, 2008______________________________________On the Miami Dade County Commission:''Unfortunately, this is a commission that would build a cyanide factory next to a playground if you hired the right 12 lobbyists,'' Miami Lakes Councilman Michael Pizzi - May 14, 2008______________________________________"The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities." President Barack Obama in Fort Meyers - February 10, 2009______________________________________"So."Dick Cheney's response when told that two thirds of Americans did not support the war in Iraq. - Time Magazine 2008______________________________________"It seems like a bad idea can always find a home in the Florida Legislature." - Howard Simon - Executive Director of Florida ACLU - March 24, 2010

______________________________________Complete this sentence: South Florida really needs a..."Regional plan for controlled growth (before it becomes a concrete jungle similar to Houston), and a completely new set of elected officials that make decisions based on what's good for the future of South Florida instead of what's good for their wallets. - Jack McCabe, Real Estate expert who predicted the housing boom's end. - August 29, 2011 Miami Herald